Sustainable marketing calls for socially and environmentally responsible actions that meet the present needs of consumers and businesses while also preserving or enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Figure 20.1 compares the sustainable marketing concept with marketing concepts we studied in earlier chapters.

Figure 20.1

Sustainable Marketing

The marketing concept recognizes that organizations thrive by determining the current needs and wants of target customers and fulfilling them more effectively and efficiently than competitors do. It focuses on meeting the company’s short-term sales, growth, and profit needs by engaging customers and giving them what they want now. However, satisfying consumers’ immediate needs and desires doesn’t always serve the future best interests of either customers or the business.

For example, McDonald’s early decisions to market tasty but fat- and salt-laden fast foods created immediate satisfaction for customers as well as sales and profits for the company. However, critics assert that McDonald’s and other fast-food chains contributed to a longer-term national obesity epidemic, damaging consumer health and burdening the national health system. In turn, many consumers began looking for healthier eating options, causing a slump in the sales and profits of the fast-food industry. Beyond issues of ethical behavior and social welfare, McDonald’s was also criticized for the sizable environmental footprint of its vast global operations, everything from wasteful packaging and solid waste creation to inefficient energy use in its stores. Thus, McDonald’s strategy was not sustainable in the long run in terms of either consumer or company benefit.

Whereas the societal marketing concept identified in Figure 20.1 considers the future welfare of consumers and the strategic planning concept considers future company needs, the sustainable marketing concept considers both. Sustainable marketing calls for socially and environmentally responsible actions that meet both the immediate and future needs of customers and the company.

For example, for more than a decade, McDonald’s has responded to these challenges with a more sustainable strategy of diversifying into salads, fruits, grilled chicken, low-fat milk, and other healthy fare. The company has also sponsored major education campaigns—such as one called “it’s what i eat and what i do . . . i’m lovin’ it”—to help consumers better understand the keys to living balanced, active lifestyles. And it has announced a list of “Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices,” including a continuing commitment to children’s well-being, expanded and improved nutritionally balanced menu choices, and increased consumer and employee access to nutrition information. McDonald’s points out that 80 percent of the items on its national menu fall into its “favorites under 400 calories” category—from a basic cheeseburger to products such as Fruit & Maple Oatmeal and the Egg White Delight McMuffin, made with eight grams of whole grain, 100 percent egg whites, and extra-lean Canadian bacon.2

McDonald’s sustainability initiatives also address environmental issues. For example, it calls for food-supply sustainability, reduced and environmentally sustainable packaging, reuse and recycling, and more responsible store designs. McDonald’s has even developed an environmental scorecard that rates its suppliers’ performance in areas such as water use, energy use, and solid waste management. Thus, McDonald’s is now well positioned for a sustainably profitable future.

Truly sustainable marketing requires a smooth-functioning marketing system in which consumers, companies, public policy makers, and others work together to ensure socially and environmentally responsible marketing actions. Unfortunately, however, the marketing system doesn’t always work smoothly. The following sections examine several sustainability questions: What are the most frequent social criticisms of marketing? What steps have private citizens taken to curb marketing ills? What steps have legislators and government agencies taken to promote sustainable marketing? What steps have enlightened companies taken to carry out socially responsible and ethical marketing that creates sustainable value for both individual customers and society as a whole?